Cloning, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray studies of RFC boxes II-VIII of replication factor C from Methanococcus jannaschii.

Replication factor C (RFC) is the accessory protein required to load the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) onto DNA in replication process. RFC is composed of several subunits and each subunit contains the highly conserved sequences RFC boxes II-VIII. RFC boxes II-VIII of the large subunit of replication factor C from Methanococcus jannaschii has been overexpressed in Escherichia coli, purified and crystallized at 295 K using ammonium sulfate as precipitant. Crystals belong to the space group R32, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 238.23 (5), c = 73.17 (12) A. Native data were collected at 100 K to a resolution of 3.2 A using a synchrotron-radiation source.